AN: Short, but needed chapter.

Chapter Two: Something worth fighting for.

"I can't believe they would do something so stupid!" Stef said, pacing back and forth across their bedroom as Lena listened to and watched her, sitting on the bed.

"Honey, I know you are upset, but you have to calm down before we talk to them," Lena told her wife.

"Calm down? Lena, have you lost your mind? I cannot calm down! We nearly lost our son tonight! And what about Callie? What about Jude? I know they aren't ours, but that would not have made it any easier! They are innocent children, too! Jude is only seven years old, Lena!"

"Stef, we can't always save everyone." Lena said softly.

Stef turned around and stared at her wife fiercely, the glare in her eyes full of sadness and anger.

"No. We can't. I know that better than anyone. We can't save everyone. We learned that lesson the hard way, Lena. But we cannot accept not being able to save the children in this house. All of them! We have already lost one son. We lost one son, Lena! We will not lose Jesus or Mariana or Frankie. We will NOT lose Callie and Jude to a system that is against them! A system that does not have their best interests in mind! Did you see that child tonight? She was willing to give up everything to protect her baby brother. Everything! A thirteen year old child was willing to give up everything. Do you think we shouldn't try to protect her when she is so willing to give everything away?"

"I get it, Stef. I get it. I truly get it. But they are our foster children. They aren't ours …"

"Yet. They aren't ours yet, Lena!"

Stef looked towards her wife, a look of almost … almost fear was in her eyes.

"Stef, what are you saying?" Lena asked, her heart warming inside of her, but slightly afraid at the same time.

"We can't send those babies back into the system. We just can't. Callie has been here for nearly a month and we knew nothing about her brother. I know she doesn't trust us yet or she would have asked for help. That is why she didn't tell us about Jude. But they are babies. Thirteen and seven … they are BABIES, Lena. And I have this feeling … this feeling I cannot shake. Those children, Lena, those children … they are ours. I can just feel it, Lena." Stef said, tears forming in her eyes.

Lena took a deep breath. She had known Callie belonged with them. The first thing her social worker had told her was that Callie couldn't be in a home with men. They never worked out and the last one she'd been with had ended with her in juvie. He hadn't said anything more about it, but she'd known she wanted the child to stay with her.

Lena had known the minute she looked into the girl's sad eyes that she belonged to them. The minute she had walked up to her in the parking lot of Chula Vista with clothes that were too big and too small, worn out shoes, and dirty hair. She had known right then Callie belonged with them, no matter what baggage she came with.

"I know they are ours. I've known Callie would be ours since the first week. The first day. I could see it in your eyes. And Jude … he is seven. He belongs with his sister. With us. He is an innocent little boy," Lena told her partner.

"What are we going to do about tonight? I cannot lose another child, Lena. I can't. I cannot lose another child and it came close to that tonight. Callie came so close to losing her life today and she doesn't even think it matters! In what world do we live in that it's okay for a thirteen year old child to not think about herself? To not be utterly and completely selfish? Jesus was there! We could have lost him! I cannot LOSE another child, Lena!" Stef yelled, tears threatening to fall.

"Stef, they aren't Brandon. They are okay. We got to them in time. YOU got to them in time. This situation is not Brandon's situation. Mike was drunk when Brandon was with him. Mike killed our six year old child and himself. We will do everything in our power to teach our children what they did was wrong. We will do everything in our power to make them understand they are worth something. We will do everything in our power to make Callie and Jude part of this family," Lena said adamantly.

They would make this work. They knew it. This was something worth fighting for. Their family was worth fighting for.